Pastoral for many pastors is challenging, what helps pastors cope with these challenges, live healthy lives (physically and mentally) is when they are cared for. Following are some resources to help congregations and fellow Christians care for their pastors. If you are aware of any others please add them to the comments.
Ministry is challenging, complex, and costly. Too many pastors and church leaders are getting spread thin, burned out, and walking away! In an ever-changing church culture that includes social media, blurred denominational lines, and an increased demand for relational ministry, many pastors are feeling overwhelmed, becoming discouraged, and dropping out of leadership roles. You may be one of them--but you are not ready to give up. The Resilient Pastor will help you to focus on character development and spiritual formation as a Christian leader, engaging the challenges of ministry with passion and perseverance. You will explore ten principles for developing pastoral resilience and consider biblical examples as well as testimonies from contemporary leaders as you lay the foundation for becoming a resilient leader. This journey through The Resilient Pastor will be worth your time as an individual leader or in a small group context with other pastors. Contents Develop intimacy with God Invest in Mentoring Relationships Pursue Your calling daily Focus on Core Values Recognise Your Strengths Accept Your limitators Maintain boundaries Maintain emotional stability Reject erroneous messages Embrace Grace
The Lutheran Pastor was originally published in 1902 authored by George Henry Gerberding. Contents The Pastors Office The Pastors Call - The Inner or Pre The External or Official Call Ordination And the Call from One Field In His Personal Character and in Society In His Study In His Closet Taking the Oversight - As Head of Catechising and Confirming Conducting the Service Preparatory Administering the Holy Communion Performing the Marriage Ceremony Ministering to the Bereaved Burying SignificancePrinciples and Import The Pastor Visiting Visiting Special Classes Guarding the Good Name and the Altar In the Pulpit-Preaching the Word At the AltarLeading the Worship Baptizing Visiting the Sick Vacation Conclusion Reward Free download of the book is available at https://archive.org/details/lutheranpastor00gerb
Mental illness and suicide are difficult topics to talk about, and with teenagers it is even more difficult, yet each year mental illness and suicide is affecting more and more people. What the dog saw, by Mark Worthing is written with adolscents and teens in mind. It is the story of his own son as seen through the eyes of his dog of the long, slow tragedy of mental illness, and of suicide. It is the story he wrote a year after his son's death to help his younger brother and sister to find away to remember their brother and talk about grief. The book is a short book of 74 pages, with 44 easy to read chapters of 1 or 2 pages, each concluding with sentence to encourage reflection. There are also suggestions on how the book could be used with children and teenagers. Mark Worthing is a Lutheran pastor, lecturer and author living in Australia
2018 Australian Christian Diary has all the original and faithful features of past years and is produced with the Australian Christian pastor, layperson and church worker in mind. Features
Clean quality white paper for easy writing
DL Pocket size
Durable blue vinyl cover (insert for holding notes & cards etc)
The Creeds of the Christian Church Baptism Baptism of Infants—First Setting Baptism of Infants—Second Setting Baptism of Older Children Baptism of Adults Emergency Baptism Private Baptism Communion Service of Holy Communion Private Communion Confirmation Marriage Service of Marriage Preface to the Marriage Ceremony When There Has Been a Divorce—First Setting Preface to the Marriage Ceremony When There Has Been a Divorce—Second Setting Preface to the Marriage Ceremony When There Has Been a Divorce—Third Setting Burial of the Dead Funeral Service Scripture Readings Committal Service—First Setting Committal Service—Second Setting Anointing the Sick Reception of New Members Ordination, Installation, Commissioning Ordination of a Pastor Installation of a Pastor Ordination and Installation of Elders Commissioning Installation of Deacons/Deaconesses Installation of Church Officers Installation of Sunday School Teachers Groundbreaking Cornerstone Laying Service of Dedication for a Church Mortgage Burning Service of Dedication for a Home Service of Dedication for a Ship or Boat Church Discipline Reinstatement of Membership Restoration Service for a Pastor Pericope Texts Series A Series B Series C
Whether you have lost a job, a dream, a friendship, or a loved one, you mourn. You might mourn for a few weeks, or your grief may extend for years. Sadness seems to build a permanent residence in your bones, weighing down your soul. You wonder if you’ll ever feel whole again. Then—hope.
God plunges into your heartbreak and works abiding and holy transformation in your life. It may take months or years for you to heal, but you can ground your hope for healing in Jesus. He will always be your hope when your heart breaks. When your heart breaks gives you an opportunity for a place of refuge and a point of reference as you navigate the path of grief. Grieving occurs in many situations in life; grief is usually associated with death, but it can occur after any loss-divorce, layoffs, the end of a friendship. The book can be read cover to cover, or readers can flip to one of the 52 devotions that will help them most in this season of life. The focus of each chapter is the presence of God in the midst of grief and the comfort and hope that can be found in that knowledge.
Written from a grace-filled pastor’s heart, Michael Newman has penned an essential resource for embracing hope amidst grief. Hope dims when life’s storms hit, but Michael skillfully uses Scripture to ignite the torch of healing. His beautiful insights into grief tell us he’s been there. He wraps God’s words of hope around the grieving like a toasty blanket on a frosty night. Compassionate, crucial, Christ-centered—and critically needed. I will absorb and share this brilliant resource for years to come.
DONNA PYLE, ARTESIAN MINISTRIES, AUTHOR, SPEAKER
Grief is messy. Life after loss doesn’t follow an ordered and predictable path, but looks more like a tangled plate of spaghetti. Navigating confusing emotions and thoughts requires a reliable guide, and you’ve got a friend in Michael W. Newman. Grief is messy, and Michael Newman understands messy. These short chapters explore the untidy realities of what happens after loss. Hope When Your Heart Breaks validates the pain of loss, offers helpful insight, and gently points to a Savior who redeems your suffering with purpose and hope. Read and gift this book. You will be comforted and the Holy Spirit will grow your faith.
RUTH N. KOCH, MA, NCC, MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATOR
This is a refreshing book! The Bible is absolutely unique among the sacred writings of all religions. It is the historical description of God’s love influencing the lives of real people facing real situations. Michael Newman has taken this unique reality and put it to use in the daily struggles of the Christian. He offers a clear connection between biblical life situations and the reader’s daily life. Through it all, he shows the intricate way that God’s love is at work in the lives of His people, giving direction and hope to those struggling with difficult emotions and tough situations.
REV. DR. DAVID J. LUDWIG, PASTOR, PROFESSOR, AUTHOR
Michael Newman’s book . . . demonstrates a personal and pastoral acquaintance with the gut-wrenching realities of the grief process from a variety of losses—death of a loved one, loss of a job, family crisis, and dramatic changes in the aging process. The issues and questions raised by each chapter strike raw emotions, thoughts, and faith struggles at various stages in the grief process. Each chapter also connects the struggle with biblical narratives and comforting Christ-centered passages, which bring hope to the situation while encouraging the ongoing work of grief. I strongly recommend this book for personal
use and for giving to family and friends in need.
REV. DR. STEPHEN J. CARTER, PASTOR, PROFESSOR, AND AUTHOR
There is a reason they call it grief work. This resource honors the process of grief, as well as the value of the loss experience, the tears, the struggle, and the sadness even. It also recognizes the breadth of diversity in the grief experience for each individual. The text is artfully organized so that the readers can pick it up and look through a section that speaks to them, or read through the book as a whole. The insight into the humanity of those who have walked through loss in Scripture is unique and deeply comforting. If you are grieving, if you are walking alongside someone who is grieving, if you are in clinical practice or offer spiritual care, this book is a welcome resource for your shelf!
HEIDI GOEHMANN, DEACONESS, WRITER, BLOGGER, AND SPEAKER AT I LOVE MY SHEPHERD MINISTRIES
Grief is involved in every change in life. Michael Newman understands this and seeks to find the threads of grief that are in life experiences such as fear, anger, depression, guilt, and purposelessness. Each of the fifty-two devotional chapters is independent of the others. The meditation itself will connect with you; devotional guides follow every chapter for further spiritual work; prayer encouragement and direction end each chapter.
BRUCE M. HARTUNG, PHD, PROFESSOR EMERITUS, PRACTICAL THEOLOGY
Michael Newman speaks the truth in love with empathy and acknowledgment of what happens to a person during grief and loss— emotionally, physically, chemically, spiritually, and relationally. He writes about the reality of life and brings our focus back to our Lord God through Scripture in a nonthreatening way. When one is weakened by grief, he or she can’t concentrate on a whole book or a long reading, but these short chapters get right to the point. I recommend this book as a resource for parish nurses, lay ministers, Stephen Ministers, pastors, and others who walk alongside someone experiencing heartbreak.
KAREN HARDECOPF, RN, CERTIFIED LAY MINISTER– PARISH NURSE, STEPHEN MINISTER LEADER
Grief hits us all at various times throughout our lives. This book gives encouragement by taking us on a journey through the lives of people in the Scriptures who grieve, yes, but with the hope that comes from trusting in the God of heaven and earth, the one who rules over life and death, who conquers grief with eternal joy. It is a book to share, but even more importantly, it is a book to read.
REV. DR. GREGORY P. SELTZ, SPEAKER OF THE LUTHERAN HOUR
Michael Newman provides the reader with insight, sensitivity, and encouragement. He consistently shares the love of God and assures us that Jesus understands and cares. His personal style suggests that the author also understands and cares. As a parish nurse, I will use this book with individuals and groups experiencing grief and loss. I also recommend that parish nurses and others involved in congregational health ministry read and discuss in small groups to enhance their compassionate care to the person who is grieving.
When looking through a prism, light is refracted into a full spectrum of colors. Michael W. Newman accomplishes the same thing here, treating grief as a prism through which we see the full spectrum of emotions and experiences that loss brings to life. The conversational tone of his writing makes the reader feel as if he has crawled into his or her mind, truly grasping the nuances of grief as one struggles to move from brokenness to healing. Best of all, each and every chapter clearly articulates that we cannot accomplish this on our own, pointing to Jesus Christ as the true source of hope and strength. A must-have for all of us, at any stage of life.
JANE P. WILKE, EDUCATOR, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, ENCOURAGER
You Are Not Alone: A Prayer Book for Victims of Domestic Violence, is the newest resource from the LCMS Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Task Force. It is free of charge. This devotional prayer book will help victims give voice to their heavenly Father in the midst of heartache and despair. As the author shares: This little booklet is a beginning, a first step on a long road. It provides written prayers for victims to use in different occasions, when they may not be able to identify what they’re feeling or what they need. To download or preview a copy visit here
No issue is more divisive or more pressing for the church today than homosexuality. Two Views on Homosexuality, the Bible, and the Church brings a fresh perspective to a well-worn debate. While Christian debates about homosexuality are most often dominated by biblical exegesis, this book seeks to give much-needed attention to the rich history of received Christian tradition, bringing the Bible into conversation with historical and systematic theology. To that end, both theologians and biblical scholars—well accomplished in their fields and conversant in issues of sexuality and gender—articulate and defend each of the two views: Affirming view William Loader Megan K. DeFranza Traditional view Wesley Hill Stephen R. Holmes Unique among most debates on homosexuality, this book presents a constructive dialogue between people who disagree on significant ethical and theological matters, and yet maintain a respectful and humanizing posture toward one another. Even as these scholars articulate pointed arguments for their position with academic rigor and depth, they do so cordially, clearly, and compassionately, without demeaning the other. The main essays are followed by exceptionally insightful responses and rejoinders that interact with their fellow essayists with convicted civility. Holding to a high view of Scripture, a commitment to the gospel and the church, and a love for people—especially those most affected by this topic—the contributors wrestle deeply with the Bible and theology, especially the prohibition texts, the role of procreation, gender complementarity, and pastoral accommodation. The book concludes with general editor Preston Sprinkle’s reflections on the future of discussions on faith and sexuality.
Psychologist Elizabeth Levang, author of Remembering with Love, explains the special ways that men grieve so those who love them can better understand what they're going through. This book is a very honest and straightforward portrayal of men and grief. It has helped many men and those who love them to a deeper understanding and to healing. This book also looks at grief and shows why women seldom understand men's grief and why, so often, men remain in grief for a much longer period, once they begin. Chapters New understandings -- ch. 1. When men and women grieve -- "Follow the wind: songs for stained souls" / Ralph O. Robinson -- ch. 2. Language of grief -- "My father" / Jon Masson -- ch. 3. Process of grieving: the thinking male -- "No longer here / Jim Amundsen -- Realities and challenges -- ch. 4. Denial -- "The last fishing trip" / Larry D. Johnson -- ch. 5. Anger -- "The wounded animal syndrome" / Robert W. Ross -- ch. 6. Control -- "A grief resolved" / J.B. Blair -- ch. 7. Bitterness -- "Fatherless" / John L. Jankord -- ch. 8. Addictive behaviors -- "The price of success" / Richard Friberg -- ch. 9. Despair -- "Caught in a golden parachute" / Jim Murrow -- pt. 3. Prospects for renewal -- ch. 10. Time of change and healing -- "Choosing happiness over sorrow" / Thomas Chalfant -- ch. 11. Transformation -- "The circle of grief" / Kent L. Koppelman.
What people are saying about Afraid “Afraid is wonderfully written, faithfully confessed, and frightfully good. Dr. Bennett carries the reader through the spiritual chaos wreaking fear upon our culture, our neighbors, friends, and family. As you make your way through each chapter, Dr. Bennett skillfully weaves Scripture in and out of real-life stories, teaching doctrine and holding forth Jesus Christ as the only true exorcist. Through His ordinary Means of Grace, Jesus stills every rustling leaf in the wilderness, things that go bump in the night cease, and unclean spirits are cast out. The baptized have nothing to fear." —Rev. Dr. Tony Sikora, Senior Pastor, Hope Lutheran Church
“Afraid reads like a fast-paced novel. You will learn more about the devil and God’s grace in this book than from watching a lifetime of TV preachers. After you read Afraid, you will never pray the same way again, ‘Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me!’ “Afraid serves as a wakeup call to all Christians about the spiritual realities that surround us and our children. Bennett explains the importance of centering spiritual care on Scripture, the Catechism, and the hymnal so that you never need to be afraid. Afraid will open your eyes to the spiritual universe all around you. It will also give you comfort as you cling to Christ and His Word and His church.” —Rev. Ross Johnson, Director of Disaster Response, LCMS Office of National Mission “Afraid? Jesus is Lord. Finally, a much needed approach that points the church to dwell not on the devil and his lies, but rather on Jesus as Lord, who has conquered sin through His Gospel. Bennett calls upon the church to be thorough in her catechesis and so awaken to our Lord Jesus who is present through His divine service to comfort His people and free them from all their fears. As the stronger man, Jesus gives His gifts, namely Absolution, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, whereby the strong man must flee. This book is no theology of glory, but rather one of the cross in which the Christian church is exhorted to renounce syncretistic practices that give ground to Satan and remain faithful to her exclusive claim of Jesus as Lord. Study questions, stories, and cultural beliefs defined make this book a balanced biblical approach to the occult, useful to missionaries, seminarians, pastors, and laypeople alike.” —Ted Krey, Regional Director of Latin America and the Caribbean, LCMS Office of International Mission
“While church attendance is on the decline in North America, fascination with spirituality is not. Armed with the Holy Scriptures and Lutheran theology, Robert Bennett has provided a book that will help readers understand the reality of the demonic that pervades the re-emergence of paganism in our culture. In a conversational style and with judicious use of case studies, Bennett has provided both pastors and laypeople with a useful resource for better understanding that the battle in which we engage is not against flesh and blood but spiritual forces of darkness. Pastors who are increasingly confronted with circumstances marked by demonic activity will find Bennett’s advice for spiritual care both sober and sound.” —John T. Pless, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions and Director of Field Education, Concordia Theological Seminary
"Drawing especially on Luther, Lutheran hymns, and Lutheran pastoral experiences, Bennett addresses the reality of dark spiritual forces. Most importantly, however, he reminds us that we should ‘tremble not’ for the devil. Christ is victor: we need not be afraid." —Craig S. Keener, F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary “Dr. Bennett has written an intriguing and much needed work. He addresses quite practically the spiritual warfare in which American Christians in particular find themselves enmeshed. Our enemy is cunning and would happily divert us at any cost from what finally defeats him. Constantly, Dr. Bennett calls us back to the divinely powered Means of Grace, the Word and Sacraments of Jesus, and the unspeakable comfort of the sinner’s free justification. Here is a distinctively Lutheran approach to the spiritual battle and it is much needed.” —William Weedon, LCMS Director of Worship and Chaplain of the International Center
Let’s face it: we are afraid. Our world is riddled with fear-inducing headlines, financial meltdowns, family crises, and phobias of every stripe. No wonder the New York Times now reports one in ten Americans is now taking antidepressant or anxiety medication. So how do we cope or even succeed in a world spinning out of control? As someone who has battled panic attacks and anxiety most of his life, Lance Hahn can relate.
In How to Live in Fear, Lance tackles the pervasive problem of fear and panic head-on by inviting readers into his world. In this genuine and practical book, he invites readers into the life of a pastor living with anxiety disorder. Through humorous personal stories—like losing it on an airplane or collapsing onstage as he is about to preach—Lance will win over readers with his transparency. He will also share the remedies that have helped him recover and overcome throughout the years.
How to Live in Fear is a public intervention of sorts. We need to talk about this issue, especially the church-at-large. Millions of people suffer from anxiety disorders, and the church has done little to make them feel normal. Many Christians now take medication privately but keep it a secret under the shame of being viewed as a failure. Lance willingly bares his soul in order to get the conversation started. He firmly believes the church should not only recognize the issue, but also help believers reconcile the guilt of being a Christian while dealing with dread and anxiety
Filled with practical tips and advice, and full of relevant scriptures, How to Live in Fear gives readers the tools to relax in the face of fear—real or imagined. Lance will show readers that while he may still encounter bouts of panic, he has never let his disorder stop him from living a full life.
Contents
Part One: Living in fear: my story
Part Two: Living in fear: our story together
Part Three: Living in fear: the journey with my Father.
'Has God Abandoned Me? For Women Facing Domestic Violence' is a booklet from Lutheran Hour Ministries that covers: Domestic violence has no boundaries, and it does not care about social standing, age, ethnicity or religion. It traps its victims in a very lonely and frightening prison. This booklet is designed to answer questions and help you understand the cycle of violence, develop a plan for the future and know that God will never forsake an abused woman.
To download a copy of the booklet visit here
"New Life" Pastoral Counselling Leaflets are a series of leaflets designed to be left with persons in primary counselling situations: the hospital, after a funeral, at retirement, after a birth or marriage, etc.
Each leaflet is full-color on a high-quality "greeting-card" paper and folded to 8 1/2 x 3 3/8" which fits conveniently in a coat pocket or #10 envelope.
Each leaflet contains a message that you will be proud to leave behind.
Each message deals with the circumstances of the reader in a positive manner.
All are focused on the affirming idea of New Life.
Deeply Christian, theologically and clinically sound, these leaflets have been used by thousands of pastors.
Leaflet series include:
Divorce
In the Hospital
Marriage
New Parents
Retirement
Waiting
Why Me?
After The Funeral
The New Life Pastoral counselling leaflets are available here
Dementia, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's affect many people in our community. When a person is affected by either of these not only do they have specific physical needs but they also have Spiritual needs to help them have a quality of life. Following are some resources to help you and your congregation in developing an approach to spiritually helping people with Dementia, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's.
Graceful Alzheimer’s Care is a fourteen-week study guide for church and lay leaders to explore the church’s role in providing Christ-like care to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic diseases.
Due to medical and health advances, there are far more elders in our congregations today than ever before—with an alarming percentage living with Alzheimer’s.
Although many faith communities have strong healing ministries, they have fallen short in understanding the challenges of dementia and their ramifications on the individual and caregivers.
Inspired by the two main covenants of the Bible, Graceful Alzheimer’s Care encourages the development of a caregiving covenant with three pillars: prayer, presence, and practice. Then, using uplifting stories from the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Cate applies powerful spiritual wisdom to the international Alzheimer's crisis.
Bringing over forty years of practical, academic, and spiritual knowledge in assisting individuals with dementia and their families, author Cate McCarty, PhD, ADC, wrote this book as a call to action for the spiritual community.
Facilitating Spiritual Reminiscence for People with Dementia: A Learning Guide
Spiritual reminiscence is a way of communicating that acknowledges the person as a spiritual being and seeks to engage the person in a more meaningful and personal way. This practical guide teaches carers how to facilitate engaging and stimulating spiritual reminiscence sessions with older people, and particularly with people with dementia.
After reading the guide, carers will understand the many and varied benefits of spiritual reminiscence, and will have developed the skills, confidence and communication techniques needed to support people with dementia in this activity. The authors present in accessible terms the evidence-base to support the benefits of the approach and provide clear, step-by-step instructions for facilitating spiritual reminiscence sessions, including useful suggestions for ideas and questions to stimulate discussion.
Intended to be used either as a self-learning tool or as the basis for staff training sessions, this will be a valuable resource for staff in care homes and day centres, activity coordinators, pastoral and spiritual care professionals, clergy and spiritual leaders.
A Guide to the Spiritual Dimension of Care for People with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia: More than Body, Brain and Breath
Drawing on her years of experience as a clergywoman working with older people in care settings, Eileen Shamy discusses how pastoral work can help to develop holistic care for those suffering from dementia and related conditions - care which involves understanding of their spiritual as well as physical needs.
This sensitive and informative book provides guidelines for pastoral visits to people with dementia, showing how to empathise with, understand and support individuals during a visit. Emphasising the importance of retaining dignity and freedom of choice for people with dementia, it also presents practical advice about memory cueing and provides frameworks for leading worship for those with dementia.
A useful resource for a variety of people involved in pastoral care with older people, whether professionals or volunteers, this book provides inspiration from a respected author in the field of psychogeriatric care.
'This is a book for those actively engaged in or interested in spiritual ministry to persons with dementia. Shamy draws heavily upon her experience, making this book very personal in its approach. I appreciated this style, feeling that the anecdotes anchor the book in the realm of what can be done rather than the theoretical world of the "maybes". The main concepts of the book, those of spirituality, retained through dementia, and personal worth should be acceptable to people of most world faiths.' - Leveson Newsletter
'This is an important book that has much to offer at a variety of different levels. It ranges from deep philosophical thinking to practical recommendations... a book that should be bought, digested and used frequently.' - Christian Council on Ageing
'Contains valuable material. The passages that attempt a definition of spirituality, and the stories about persons with dementia and how they have been helped to greater well-being, are relevant and excellently done. The spirit of Eileen Shamy shines out from these pages and carries its own message of passionate concern. One of the book's greatest strengths is its stories, which are unfailingly well-told and apposite.' - Ageing and Society
Spiritual Care for Persons with Dementiaexplores spirituality in those with dementia to enrich our understanding of the neurological and psychological aspects of hope, prayer, and the power of belief. You will discover how your ministry is vitally relevant to the clinical well-being and quality of life of people with Alzheimer's disease. Spiritual Care for Persons with Dementia provides you with a model spiritual care program for long-term facilities that supplies you with ideas you can implement in your own ministry.
You will learn to avoid cognitive pastoral care method that can be hurtful to those suffering with dementia by using new approaches found in Spiritual Care for Persons with Dementia. This book provides you with suggestions about how to spiritually care for people with dementia. These important recommendations include:
understanding the value of pastoral contact when ministering to people with a loss of cognitive functions and memory
discovering the Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold psychosocial model (PLST) that can make important contributions by enhancing the quality of life for people with dementia
providing pastoral care using nonverbal methods to overcome the barriers of cognitive dysfunction
exploring a client's cognitive and emotional reality on a daily basis to determine how to best interact with him or her
gaining insight into how a thorough analysis of the illness and personal religious history can assist in planning religious activities that provide comfort and solace for people with dementia and their families
Spiritual Care for Persons with Dementia describes religious, theological, and psychodynamic perspectives that will help you to offer better spiritual care for people with dementia. Using your newly acquired skills from Spiritual Care for Persons with Dementia, you will be more effective when ministering to people with Alzheimer's Disease and to their families. Do This, Remembering Me: The Spiritual Care of Those with Alzheimer's and Dementia
• 5 million+ in the U.S. live with Alzheimer's, 5.5 million caregivers provide 17.7 billion hours’ unpaid care (2013)
• Key resource of practical tools/real-life applications for spiritual and physical dementia ce
“What do I do to help?” Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, almost everyone knows someone with some form of dementia, yet few know how to answer that question, and very little material exists on providing spiritual care to adults with dementia-related diseases. Even seminaries rarely provide training or clinical pastoral education in this field.
This book is an answer. It provies a hands-on manual that will give clergy, spiritual care providers, and family members an understanding of the ongoing spiritual needs of individuals with dementia, as well as practical tools such as how to create a religious service in a memory care unit and how one might plan a nursing home visit. Accessibly written, with real life applications and sample services for a variety of settings. More than just useful, the book inspires with shared stories that are tender, sad, funny—and sometimes all three at once, encouraging readers to develop spiritual care ministries for people with memory loss in congregations, homes, nursing facilities, or other communities—a ministry that will only gain in importance in the coming decade, as Baby Boomers age and the number of people with Alzheimer’s and dementia skyrockets.
Pastoral care has been traditionally understood as pastoral acts administered to individuals or small groups by an ordained or lay religious practitioner. As congregations in the twenty-first century begin to reclaim the missional nature of church, this view must be broadened to include care and concern for the needs of the larger community. A missional perspective of pastoral care embraces the notion that all of God's people, not just trained professionals, are called to partner in the healing and redemption of the world.
In Beyond Church Walls, Rick Rouse sets out to articulate precisely what such an approach to pastoral care looks like and the substantial impact it can have on congregations and communities. A skilled teacher and pastor with deep experience in real communities, Rouse leads readers through the changing realities of the twenty-first century and to new ways for missional churches to succeed in offering pastoral care for the whole community.
Contents
1.Reclaiming God's Vision for Mission
2.From Individualism to Community: Reframing Pastoral Care
3.Maneuvering the Challenges of Change
4.Contexts of Care:
5.Creating Caring Communities
6.A Congregational Approach to Community Organizing
7.When Prayer Is Not Enough: The Power of Ritual to Heal
8.Developing a Vision and Strategy for a Discipleship Congregation
Appendix I: Bible Study "The Good Samaritan: A Parable of Care"
Appendix II: A Missional Approach to Pastoral Care: Case Study Scenarios
Appendix III: Sample Rites
Appendix IV: A Ministry Assessment Survey: The Seven Keys
Appendix V: Fifty Ways to Take Church to Your Community
Appendix VI: Example of Strategic Vision Statement
